They know how an idea becomes an impact: meet the mentors and trainers at LET’S GO 2026
At the starting line. The body is tense, the senses are heightened, and all attention is focused on the moment the starting gun goes off.
We step outside the track-and-field metaphor and turn our attention to our LET’S GO 2026 participants – the organizations that are (or will be) developing business ideas to support their causes and missions. They recently took the next important step in the program by diving into the deep end of mentoring sessions and training on topics such as business planning, creating a business model, finance and management, and more.
Just as professional athletes work side by side with their coaches on strategy, preparation, and performance, our social entrepreneurs will have the opportunity until autumn to hold one-on-one meetings with established business experts and mentors. Together, they will review the developed business and financial plans, analyze the challenges, build on their strengths, and seek solutions where change is needed.
This year, the leading mentors and advisors guiding our participants toward financial sustainability are the experts from School of Business Competencies. It is with them that we share the mission to support the participants so that, by the end of the program, they emerge as more than just winners – with a clear vision and strategy!
Well, it’s time to introduce you to the inspirers – meet the mentors and instructors at LET’s GO 2026, who are standing firmly behind our heroes this year:
Evelina Van Mensel, PhD
Master of Business Administration with PhD of Business Economics. She has extensive experience in managing international projects, building and leading successful teams, entrepreneurship, and measuring customer experience. She teaches and leads corporate training on Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, and ESG. She is an expert in sustainability and innovative processes.
Holds a Ph.D. in the field of social entrepreneurship and the role of supporting ecosystems.
Svetlana Drenska, PhD
Ph.D. in Mathematics, Higher Attestation Commission (VAK), Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS); Professional Bachelor’s degree in General Management. She leads the EBC*L management certification programs for Bulgaria. She combines her many years of academic experience as an instructor in British and American business and finance programs with corporate training for managers and specialists across various industries. He is actively involved in international educational projects initiated and led by the School of Business Competencies. In partnership with GBITK, he has been participating for six years in the Young Energy Scouts project to develop young people’s skills for working on resource efficiency projects. In partnership with CHPG Educational Technologies, he works on entrepreneurial and business skills for 11th and 12th-grade students.
Ognian Drenski
Ognian Drenski holds a master’s degree in mathematics and mechanics with over 30 years of experience in the technology and corporate sectors. He has worked as a software engineer, team leader, IT director at Bulgaria’s third-largest bank and at a leading pharmaceutical holding company, technical director, and later as CEO. He is certified as a project manager and lead auditor under international standards.
He has extensive experience in B2B sales and solution-based selling, including managing complex deals, working with corporate clients, and building value propositions in a competitive environment.
In his training sessions, he integrates real-world case studies, modern tools, AI-supported marketing and sales methods, as well as practical techniques for negotiation and building trust. His approach is analytical, structured, and results-oriented – with a focus on applicability in the real-world business of social entrepreneurs.
Elena Kalinova
Elena Kalinova is the Financial Director of the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law. She holds a master’s degree in Finance from the University of National and World Economy. She has many years of professional experience working with non-governmental organizations, is intimately familiar with the specifics of their operations, and, above all, knows how to properly maintain financial and accounting records, how to prepare and optimize their budgets, and how to report expenses in accordance with donor requirements. In her daily work, she frequently assists NGOs in resolving tax and accounting issues and disputes with government institutions.
Alexander Kirov
Alexander is the Director of Digital Media at BCNL – a specialist in digital communications and design, a Francophone, with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and a Master’s in Business Administration with a focus on digital marketing from Sofia University. He is a certified Digital Pro expert and a Hope-based communications trainer. His professional career began with an internship as an editor at an American online publication on street culture. He entered the civil society sector in 2014, and over the years has worked on issues related to children’s rights, combating human trafficking, short films, and the arts. He regularly trains and consults with NGOs on topics related to digital and visual communications, storytelling, campaigning, advertising, and visual identity creation.
And what comes next? Now our heroes have a lot of work ahead of them that will bring them closer to a real launch and the realization of their ideas. And the tremendous effort they put into improving and becoming better and better is exactly the right step toward finding the idea that will best support their causes. This fall, we’ll find out how each team has fared. Let’s GO!
The “Let’s GO” program is being implemented as part of a project “Stronger Together: Engaging Other Sectors in CSO Initiatives”